6 Resume Errors You Must Avoid
Inaccurate Contact Information
Many times I cannot reach someone based on a number being wrong on a résumé or an email being incorrect. Please also include your address. It’s important to know your geographic area as many clients request a distance from their location and we need to disclose this (Many clients offer travel contracts too so the distance to their locations will be tracked as well) we also can easily advise the distance to our offices and/or file your summary accordingly by Borough and Region. We recruit based on territory quite frequently. YOU WILL miss out on new opportunities if WE don’t know where you live!
Spelling Errors
You never want to submit a resume with spelling mistakes. This can be a true indication that you are not able to communicate effectively or may not be detail oriented. Read and reread your resume for any potential mistakes then share with a friend to reread again! If you are paying to get your résumé completed, don’t pay for it if there are mistakes! It’s your résumé YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE for what is in there!
Abbreviations
Never abbreviate on a résumé. One person’s abbreviation or acronym may not be of understanding to a major corporation/another person . I recommend spelling all words correctly. Look the word up if you are not the best speller! You do not want to lose a job opportunity based on this. I have several clients that throw the résumé right out if this is the case!
Posting Inaccurate Information
You should believe in the saying “never sell yourself short”, but you should also never mislead anyone on your résumé. It should tell a story. I read your résumé and put the chapters together. If something does not make sense, I will ask if there is a long and winded story behind each event. This can be an issue in being considered for the position
Posting Only the Years of Employment
Always put the months and the years for each position and the education. This way it is more detailed and leaves the conversation to: Why do you think you are the BEST candidate for the job? Instead of: Why are your dates not making sense? I feel that you should come to us as you are interviewing for a job NOT a casual interlude.
Posting a Degree You Did NOT Achieve
NEVER put down a degree if you have not obtained it. Another responsibility of ours is to verify your education. If you are not honest this will put your job at risk. If you are currently enrolled, you can state that or if you have an expected graduation, you can state that, BUT never write a Masters or a Bachelors unless you have already earned that and it is achieved.
Use these helpful hints to present a professional résumé. Let us focus on YOU being the best fit for a job, instead of addressing the need to correct your résumé!
One of the biggest false information that i notice on resumes is not giving the accurate dates.
In many case it is when they transition from being an LPN to an RN. If you working at Atlantic Nursing home as an LPN from 2004-2007 . Then began your career as an RN in 2007. Do not write working as an RN from 2004- present .
Very misleading and will hurt your chances of getting the job.
I can’t tell you how many nurses’ resumes leave me shaking with fear. The thought that they are as careless with their patient care as they are with the one document that represents them as a potential job candidate gives me nightmares. It is the rare job candidate that does not need a complete overhaul of their resume. How lucky for them that they come to us where we gladly offer this value-added service to our potential employees.
I never realized how important it was to supply not only the year, but the date as well. This blog was really a wake up call to revamp and check your resume.
Another great article Nancy! As a recruiter, I look at hundreds of resumes a day. One of the most frustrating things to me is finding someone with a great background who I know I can place right away, and when I pick up the phone to call them the number is wrong or out of service. Sometimes there is no phone number at all! At that point I will send an email or a letter to the candidates home. In some instances the email bounces back or the letter is mailed back to me as well. Contact information is so important on a resume because without it being accurate nothing else matters! A very good tip for candidates, if you are trying to market yourself, make sure the person you are marketing yourself too can contact you!